I Can't Even See the Sky
by Hikaru Morinaga
Summary: He couldn't see the sky anymore, it was like he had been blinded. He could barely see Crawford or anything else for that matter. It was getting so cold and there was a calm washing over him. The lights went out, and Crawford couldn't see him either.


**I Can't Even See the Sky**

_I can't even see the sky_  
_ In this forest of buildings_  
_ However, we're becoming drowned in the waves of time_  
_ I can't see anything_  
_ I move towards the future_  
_ Taking a friend called loneliness_  
_ Wherever I go..._

-- "Melody Go Round", Okiayu Ryoutarou_  
_

It was dusk, with no visible stars twinkling in the sky. Amidst the shrubbery in a park lay a bleeding man and his compatriot, his hisses of pain audible from a short distance away.  
"Crawford... ...Crawford..."  
Crawford shushed him as he pressed his hand harder against Schuldig's, the one covering a bloody wound.  
"Don't talk, the ambulance is on its way."  
"Crawford.." Schuldig's voice, though hoarse, sounded just a bit on the whiny side; he ignored Crawford's order to be quiet. "You should just leave me. The mission's failed anyway--"  
"Then we will leave Takatori to Weiß. As long as he is out of Eszett's way soon, it doesn't matter who takes him out. We can abandon the mission for now."

Schuldig shrugged one shoulder. "Do you really want blood on your expensive Armani suit?" Even now, during such a serious moment, Schuldig couldn't help but try to make light of it. Crawford pressed his forehead against Schuldig's as he cradled him gently, blood seeping through their knit fingers.  
"After all the times you've saved my ass, I owe you this much. I'm not going to just let you die here."  
Schuldig scoffed. "That sounds sappy coming from you."  
"You're my _teammate_. I'm supposed to care about you, aren't I?"  
Schuldig wheezed again. "In a job like this? As long as your ass is saved, who cares how many others are left standing with you?"  
"Would you rather I left you here?"  
Schuldig thought for a moment, as if seriously considering it.  
"No. I don't...I don't want you to go."

_Where the hell is that ambulance?_  
"Crawford..." Schuldig's voice became softer, cracking in places.  
"What?"  
"I can't see much anymore."  
"It's turning to night, of course it's harder to see."  
Schuldig looked skyward. "I can't even see the sky...anymore." He said it with a smirk on his face. "There's no lights even though the streetlamps are probably on, right? ...It's like I'm in a..._shinkansen_ tunnel or somethin'..."  
"You won't die. You need to hold on--you've been through much worse and survived... Isn't that what Schwarz is about? 'You can throw anything at us--'"  
"'--but we will survive', yeah...I know." Schuldig rested a hand on Crawford's, leaving a bloody print. "But even those fit for survival...even those to survive everything...can only last for so long before they fuck up."

Wind whistled through the trees and ruffled Schuldig's hair, tousled Crawford's normally neat and slicked back hair. It sent a chill through the both of them, sent the leaves from the branches and carried them away gently.  
"You know... It's a little chilly. ...I guess Death's embrace isn't exactly the...warmest." Schuldig yawned and winced. "I'm so tired."  
Crawford gave him a look. "If you sleep now, you'll never wake up."  
"They say that that's...the best way to go...dying in your sleep and all, in your lover's arms." He glanced at Crawford again, looking smug as usual. "Kinda romantic, don't you think? Besides...I'm lucky I lived as long as I did in a business like this."  
"Schuldig..."  
The light was fading quickly, and there was a sense of calm about him. Did he really deserve such a peaceful death?

Schuldig moved his hand from Crawford's and yanked hard on his tie instead, forcing Crawford into a hard, passionate kiss. Crawford tasted something metallic and knew it was blood, and Schuldig pulled away, smirk on his face.  
"I love you...you anal-retentive bastard. I'll be waiting for you...in Hell."  
Schuldig slumped against his chest and his grip on Crawford's tie loosened, hand falling into his lap. For a moment, Crawford thought he fell asleep. But as he scanned the future, any fragments he could seek out, he found himself feeling hollow.

He didn't see Schuldig in his future.


End file.
